668 



f^OREST ANt> StHEAM 



The Single-Handed Cruiser Mjrra. 



In the course of a recent brief visit to Canada we found time to 

 spend an afternoon at Cobourg with Mr. Heni-y K. Wicksteed, an old 

 and valued correspondent of the >'orest and ^tbeam, and knovrn to 

 all our readers through his many stories of cruises in yachts, single - 

 banders and canoes, as well as by many clever designs, Freda, Sylvia 

 Madcap and other cruising craft. 



On his drawing board was a new de.sign, yet in pencil, another 

 cruiser, a boat remarkably like the design of Scarecrow, which ap 

 peared just a week later in the Forest and Stream. 



At our request Mr. Wicksteed has sent a tracing of the design, 

 from which the accompanying cuts were made. Though not in- 

 tended for publication his letter contains so much of interest con- 

 cerning this popular class of small craft that we venture to quote at 

 length from it as follows: 



"I think the strong family resemblance between Scarecrow and 

 Myra are very interesting, in that they havo been developed by evolu 

 tion in opposite directions, the former b.y giving a more yachtlike 

 and stylish make up to the sneakbox naodel, and the latter from the 

 ordinary sailing skiff. The steps in your progression were the sneak 

 box pur et simple, the cruising ditto, the Forest and Stream 

 cruiser La Gloria, and lastly Scarecrow. 



-tn my case they were Hebe, a sharp-stemmed skiff of ordinary 

 model; next a square-.sterned boat, next the Montreal cruiser of 1889, 

 then Madcap, which was merel3' an experiment in heavy center- 

 board and rudder in a boat of ordinary model, and then Egret, Elsa 

 and Myra. As being the productions of two enthusiasts working in 

 different grooves, the similarity in the final results may fairly be 

 taken as an evidence of an approach to the highest development. 



"Myra is still an effort in the direction of good rough-and tumble 

 qualities in open water rather than mere speed— which, however, 

 was aimed at in part— I am quite prepared to beli«ve that Scarecrow 

 is the faster model of the two under ordinary conditions, independent 

 of rig and greater size and power. 



"For the rig, El=a's is I think the better for afternoon sailing— and 

 racing— the objection in camping was the very far forward position 

 of the C. E. of mainsail, especially when reefed, making it necessary 

 when going at all close to the wind to carry two pieces of sail which 

 in a blow and narrow channel was sometimes more than I cared 

 about. 



"Again, the mast being so far in the eyes and incapable of being 

 stayed aft, it sprang forward so that in a strong wind under the pull 

 of the jibstay, with mainsail in gaskets the "jib and mizen" rig which 

 is one of the excellent features of the regular yawl rig, was almost im- 

 practicable, the jib was a mere leeward pulling sack.g Consequently I 

 had to abandon the method of reducing sail and resort to double 

 reefed main and reefed mizen with jib stowed. With two hands on 

 board this could be carried in almost any weather, but on my 

 Oet<jber cruise I frequently found it more than I wanted, especially 

 when it was desirable to drive easily through a choppy head sea. 



"The mast in the eyes has other disadvantages in a cruiser, in get- 

 ting ashore, attending to ground tackle and making and stowing 

 headsail; but I believe the cat-yawl to be pretty near to perfection 

 for a fine weather boat, equal to the cutter to windwara and faster 

 on any other point. Sail is more distributed fore and aft and the 

 C. B. is lower, and as a corrallary more can be carried. The disposi- 

 tion of Myra's sail will admit of her being pointed to windward under 

 a corner of the mainsail only, and as the mainsail comes down the 

 C. E does not shift forward as it does in the leg of mutton rig. 



"Again, the gaff is of moderate length and weight. A leg of mutton 

 of same area and length of boom would require a yard of 14ft. or 

 more. Elsa's was 12ft. and no trifle to swing up snug and taut in a 

 breeze when under way, and even under close reefs it was always 

 aloft and on end, adding to the weight of the mast in encouraging 

 pitching and scending, although I must say that Elsa lifted at all 

 limes as lightly and quickly as any boat I ever had to do with. 



"Lastly the battened sail is difficult to stow in a 'neat skin,' and 

 sails bunched up in a slovenly way are an abomination to the 

 sail or man. 



"Myra's spinaker, as shown by the dotted lines, should be a good 

 one. One of the great advantages of the cutter has always seemed 

 10 me to be be that with her lofty mast she could spread so much 

 more sail than the yawl going down wind, but I think the high 

 peaked lug spinaker solves the problem of how to make the two rigs 

 equal in spread. 



So much for rig. Myra's steering gear is a great improvement on 

 Elsa'sand I think better than Scarecrow's. Commenting on my using 

 a big rudder in the way of an after centerboard, somebodv asked, 

 "But she must carry a very strong weather helm." Not so", for the 

 rudder being heavy naturally tends to leeward as the boat heeis, and 

 both Madcap and Elsa, and I believe Egret carried an almost inipei-- 

 cepiible weather helm except in very strong winds. In Mvra I have 

 provided against this by making the C E move slightly forwai-d when 

 jib and mizen come in for a blow. To get rid of the tiller lines is a 

 greai gain— the boat is more sensitive and every sailor likes to "feel" 

 the helm. A cruiser wants a big cockpit, so I have put one in and 

 provided for partial closing by a hatch over forward end. 



I have not quite decided whether the sailplan will be as per drawing 

 or whether it will be like Elsa's, but in any case the position of the 

 masis is about right according to my idea's. After the yard of the 

 leg of mutton gets larger than 13 or 14ft., it is a heavy spar to swing 

 aloft and I rather think the gaflf sail is the best sail, it stows snugger 

 without battens. 

 The dimensions and elements are: 



Length on waterline 16ft. 



Length over all [ 23ft. 



iieam on deck 4ft e'n 



Draft ■ gin. 



Least freeboard lOin 



Displacement..... 9231bs. 



Sail area S60sq. f t. 



Sheer forward Hin 



Sheer aft 8in! 



Area wetted sui'f ace ' 5Ssq ft 



Ratio sail area to do 4.5' 



Co-efficient of fineness under water body '. 31 



Centerboard S50 to SOOlbs, 



Tlie Society of Naval Architects and Marine En- 

 gineers. 



With ample evidence on every hand of material advances in all 

 branches of naval architecture and marine engineering within the 

 past ten years, there has at the same time existed a deflciencv to 

 which we have often alluded, the lack of technical instruction 'for 

 learners, and of cooperation anions those at the head of the two pro- 

 fessions. For over 30 years Great Britam has boasted of an "Institute 

 of Naval Architects," and in this country similar organizations have 

 long since been perfected by both civil and mechanical engineers 

 and by architects. Within a year we have been able to announce the 

 inauguration of several attempts to provide the best technical in- 

 struction m the two branshes mentioned, notably in the case of 

 Cornell University, and now as the year ends comes the announce- 

 ment of an equally important movement to form an association of 

 naval architects and marine engineers. 



The organization of the new body, which will be known as the 

 bociety of Naval Architects and Marine -Engineers, has iust been 

 completed, the officers and principal incorporators being- 



President, Clement A. Griscom, of Philadelphia, president Interna- 

 tional Navigation Co.; First Vice-President, Theodore D Wilson of 

 WaBbmgton, D. C, chief constructor, United States Navy • Vice- 

 Presidents Charles H Cramp., of Philadelphia, president William 

 Oramp & Sons' Ship and Engine Building Co.; George W. 

 Melville, of Washington, D. C, engineer-in-chief, U S. Navv 

 w^'l'i?® Y- ■ president Quintard Iron 



Works: Irvmg M. Scott, ot San Francisco, vice-president and 

 general manager Union Iron Works; Francis A. Walker of 

 « ^S-'^t?''®*'^®?^ Massachusetts Institute of Technoloey; William 

 U. Webb, of New York, naval architect (retired); Members of 

 Council Francis T. Bowles, of Norfolk, Va., naval constructor, U. S 

 fr^Thh Ciiadwick (assoc.) of Washington, D. C, commander, 

 U.S. Navy; F. L. Fernald, of New l:ork, naval constructor, U. S 

 Navy; H.T.Gause, of Wilmington, Del., vice-president H&rlan & 

 Hollingsworth Co.; N. G. Herreshoff, of Bristol, R. I., vice president 

 and geneial manager Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. ; Philip Hich- 

 te'^^P^^'^jf^l?'^' naval constructorrU. slNaT;^ W. 



SL^^'x"^.-^,?**^!',^^®" president Bath Iron Works: W. H Jaque^ 

 fassoc ),ot Bethlehem Pa.. Bethlehem Iron Works; J. C Kafer of 

 ^^I- ^rk superintendent Morgan Iron Works; Prank King, of Spar- 

 row s Point Md., superintendent marine department, Maryland Steel 

 n^;;^; "^^.Mr^'. eoQsultmg and eonsti-ucting engineer. 



Pn S spring. Of New York, eS-eniineer- 



m-chief, U. S. Navy J. W. Miller (assoc.), of New York roresident 

 Providence & S onington Steamship Co.:^Lewis Nixonyof Phi^adeU 

 F.?e cI^°c'b oXf^.^T?'- '^'^^^^ Sons' Ship and Engine Bulfd- 

 l?^,^?" 9'^5i"i' °* ^oTk, president Newport News Shin 

 building Co.; J. F. Pankhurst. of Cleveland, O., vice-prisiteit^d 

 general manager Globe Iron Works; Harrington Putnam alsoc) of 



^aXif r7t'"^r' "^-J- ^^^^^^^ (aasoc ) of wish ng- 

 ton, D. p., captain, U. S. Navy; Horace See, of New York consult 

 ing engineer and naval architect; G. E. Weed of New York nresi 

 dent Morgan Iron Works; P. W. -^heeler, of West bIv Citv' M^ch 

 president F. W. Wheeler Shipyard and Dry Dock Co^ Sec ^Treas" 

 Washington, D.^C, 'LAl ll^aT'col': 

 T^ie Object of the society ig the ftdva^cement pf ali branches of 



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